From Trenton to West Monroe and Back Again…Trenton  
By Ron Downing

     The City of West Monroe is composed of two former towns, Trenton and Cotton Port, each of which began at separate times and locations, and eventually merged to form West Monroe as we know it today. However, prior to the establishment of these towns, efforts were being made to settle on the west bank of the Ouachita River as early as 1780.  During this period, the French couple, Jean Baptiste (later known as Don Juan Filhiol) and Francoise Poiret Filhiol, settled on the west bank near the present location of the Endom Bridge as part of a large Spanish land grant. Don Juan Filhiol served as Commandant of Fort Miro and the Ouachita Territory until 1800.
      In 1815, a locally operated ferry was established, linking Fort Miro to the west bank and opening the “pine hills” country to entrepreneurs and tradesmen. Cotton was to become the major crop on the west bank and the area expanded as merchants willing to sell goods on credit to the cotton farmers moved to the west bank.
      Dr. John Campbell attempted to establish the first town on the west bank in December 1837; he submitted a plan to the Ouachita Parish Police Jury for a town named “Byron”, located at the present site of the southern part of West Monroe. However, he was forced into bankruptcy the following year which halted the development of his plans.
      Meanwhile, a Georgia native, William Trent, had already purchased a large tract of land to the north of the proposed town of “Byron” at the present location of Claiborne Street. Trent purchased the land from the Frenchman Antoine Drago, in November of 1821; the land was previously owned by Jean Villard, one of the first French settlers on the west bank. By the 1840’s, Trent had built a sizable warehouse and cotton shed named “Trent’s Landing”. In 1848, Trent, along with two businessmen, sold the property to a New Orleans merchant company who subdivided the land into lots in 1851 and created the town of Trenton, named after William Trent.
      The first man to establish a mercantile store in Trenton was Ben Ray, who was located off Claiborne, the main street. Claiborne became the major thoroughfare of Trenton as many merchants and other businessmen established their businesses there, including William Marbury, A.F. Flournoy, Abraham Madden, E. Wier, William Oliver, H.H. Slaughter, Joseph P. Crosley, and O. B. Register.
      Supposedly, no tax was levied with the treasury supplying funds collected from fines of law-breakers. The streets were kept in repair by contributions of labor and four days each year by every male citizen.
      The town of Trenton survived the hardships of the Civil War and continued to prosper due to the growth of the cotton industry.
      By 1870, the town of Trenton had numerous merchants, two hotels, the Parker House and The Hotel, and a barbershop run by Frances Walters where news and business were discussed. Trenton also had its own newspaper, Louisiana Farmer, published by J. Jefferson Lewis. 
      The growth and prosperity of Trenton was briefly interrupted in May of 1873 by a fire, which began at Jethro Moore’s drugstore and quick spread down Claiborne Street, engulfing the store buildings constructed of wood which immediately caught fire and burned easily. The losses to the Trenton merchants exceeded $142,000.00, a large figure for that time period. The resolve of the people of Trenton was apparent as the town quickly rebuilt.
       The Great Flood of 1874 inundated Claiborne Street with three feet of water, and the people of Trenton traveled to businesses by boat. Trenton continued to prosper, however, surviving numerous floods and economic downturns in the cotton market. However, Trenton was not able to survive the coming of the Vicksburg, Shreveport, and Texas Railroad, located to the south of town. The railroad was constructed in the 1850’s; however, it burned during the Civil War and was rebuilt in 1882.
        Meanwhile, an effort was made to establish a town to the south of Trenton at the terminus of the railroad. The property, which was located on the same site previously owned by Dr. John Campbell, was acquired by Dr. Christopher Dabbs, a Virginia born doctor who practiced in Trenton and lived in Monroe. Dr. Dabbs attempted to establish a town called Cotton Port but his plans did not materialize and he sold the property to Henry M. Bry, Thankful Hall Bry, Henry Slaughter, and Joseph P. Crosley in 1858.
        In March 1859, the Louisiana Legislature acknowledged the existence of Cotton Port when it enabled the parish recorder to name a deputy for the town. With the completion of the railroad bridge in 1882, the town prospered. The following year, the fathers of Cotton Port applied for full town status but encountered a problem – about ten  years earlier, a small town in Avoyelles Parish had registered the name of Cotton Port. In November of 1883, the name was changed to West Monroe.
        The Union Cottonseed Oil Mill of West Monroe was in the planning stages as early as 1883. By 1887, it provided the area with many jobs for the laborers. The Union Oil Mill was the oldest industry in Ouachita Parish before it was razed.
         The first merchants of West Monroe were E. Wheatley, the “Boss Grocer” McGuire and L. D. McLain. They were joined by the Millsaps brothers, William L. Morris, J. W. Mitchell, and Green Berry Haynes. G. B. Haynes was one of the first organizers of a telephone company for West Monroe.
         As the city of West Monroe flourished, the competing town of Trenton lost influence and faded.  The merchants and businessmen of Trenton migrated to West Monroe or Ruston. In 1905, the U. S. Post Office Department closed its Trenton unit. Thereafter, the area of Trenton faded into a suburb of West Monroe. 
         West Monroe’s first charter was formed in 1889, and the town functioned with a mayor and board of trustees. The first mayor of West Monroe was Z. C. Wright.
         West Monroe was eventually incorporated in 1901 under the administration of Dr. T. L. Hood. He was followed by John T. Haynes, who had also preceded Hood in 1900.
         In the late 1890’s, the first foot and wagon bridge was built, connecting Monroe and West Monroe. The bridge was dedicated on July 4, 1899 and later named the “Endom Bridge” in 1988 for Judge Robert Endom and Mayor Fred Endom.  Next Page